Costa Rica
January 21-31, 2009
Peg Abbott, Willy Alfero and 6 participants
DAY ONE (Jan. 21)
Several of our group arrived a day early and had fun today exploring San Jose at their leisure. Our Costa Rican guide, Willy Alfaro, met with all who arrived in time to go to a fine welcome dinner at a local French restaurant. Peg and Ed were the last to arrive, and what a nice touch to find a dinner left for us in the room. We all got some rest with much anticipation of the adventure ahead.
DAY TWO (Jan. 22) San Jose / Mirador de Quetzales / Rio Savegre
We left San Jose after breakfast in the garden room of our hotel. We made a quick visit to the National Theater and the National Museum, and then headed out to greet nature in detail. Rufous-collared Sparrows had sung from the walls of the hotel garden – the first bird on several of the group’s Costa Rican list. They would greet us again at our first birding stop – Mirador de Quetzales, high atop the Talamanca range. With delight we entered the realm of cloudforest, fueled up by a fine lunch cooked by the Sanchez 
family who owned and developed this small lodge and private conservation reserve. We passed friendly dogs and a milk cow as we entered the forest trail. Soon we found ourselves in birds – Black-capped Flycatchers, beautiful Golden-browed Chlorophonias, a Spangle-cheeked Tanager and Black-and-yellow Silky Flycatchers. Dawn spotted a Tufted Flycatcher which was just beautiful against a background of moss and other epiphytes. Our guide, Oscar, was eager to keep us moving. He had a fruiting tree in store for us and with luck we saw not one, but SEVEN, Resplendent Quetzales. What a way to begin our journey! Breeding season was in swing, and two of the males had full long tail plumes. We enjoyed them particularly when they would fly as these plumes waved with the air flow. There were plumes for us to examine back at the main lodge once we returned – such fine iridescent color.
Mirador de Quetzales has grown over the years. Today we enjoyed lunch in the new upstairs eating area where, from big picture windows, we could enjoy fine views of the valley. It was hard to take our eyes off this lush forest canopy where every tree is decorated with orchids, bromeliads, ferns, mosses and more. A Slaty Flowerpiercer and the tiny Volcano Hummingbird drew our attentions down to the garden. We enjoyed being with the family that created this quetzal haven.
After shopping for a few quetzal-inspired souvenirs, we drove further up the Pan American highway and turned off on a steep descending road that would take us to our lodgings along the Rio Savegre, one of the wildest valleys remaining in Costa Rica. Almost sixty years ago the Chacon brothers opened up this mountain realm to fisherman, and later, birdwatchers. From their family farm several lodges have sprung up. This trip we stayed at Trogon Lodge, a lovely property upstream several miles. This afternoon we settled in, checked out birds at the feeders such as Admirable (Magnificent) and Fiery-throated Hummingbirds. Dinner was a buffet and we enjoyed a crackling fire in the wood stove as we counted the day’s riches while doing our bird list. 
DAYS THREE and FOUR (Jan. 23 and 24) Resplendent Quetzals and more…
We had two days to enjoy the wild Rio Savegre Valley. This cherished spot was opened up by the pioneering efforts of the Chacon family. Small farms mingle here with nature lodges, trout ponds and orchards. The birding is remarkable! At every turn we confronted a rainbow of birds. Our first morning was the quietest time as we went out early – before warm sun rays sparked insects into action as food for this plethora of species. We did catch a glimpse of Gray-breasted Wood-Wren, that Pavarotti of the bird realm. Soon we added 
Torrent Tyrannulets and Black Phoebes along the rushing stream, and numerous new tanagers tucked amid the dense canopy of cloudforest trees. We found a large flock of New World warblers, mostly migrants, but were quickly enchanted by a particularly confiding one that is a resident here – the Collared Redstart. Flame-throated Warblers were more elusive, but wow, what a reward for lifting those bins! We sorted through flycatchers as we walked a winding trail down the river from the road’s end. There we heard, then found, a stunning male Resplendent Quetzal, likely keeping watch over its nest hole. Horses grazed along the pathways and local people came and went, always friendly and helpful.
On our second morning we birded along the road above Trogon Lodge and encountered a confiding Black-billed Nightingale Thrush, Sulphur-winged Parakeets, White-collared Swifts, Acorn Woodpeckers and Yellow-winged Vireos, the latter a regional endemic. We enjoyed walking in this beautiful valley. The first afternoon several of us scaled to the ridge on what Willy called “the Tropical Stairmaster hike.” Rewards for our efforts included a close sighting of a Collared Trogon. Our second afternoon we chose a more leisurely route along a side-stream where, at the trail entrance, we found Dark Pewees and a more difficult species to find, the Black-faced 
Solitaire. Between our walks we wandered into more than one gift store, the most impressive being a beautiful gallery at a new lodge named for the Tapir, “Dantica”. We refueled our energies at the Chacon family’s ample lunch buffets; afterward watching hummingbirds at close range at their feeders gave us a bit of a siesta.
We will all remember the colors of a Flame Tanager and the insistent calls of Green Violetears but topping the list would be the thrill of seeing Resplendent Quetzals. Our best sighting was at the home of a local woman whose home was perched on the slopes of the rim of the valley.
As Peg summarized to post on her BLOG:
I believe the sounds of M.’s cooking quiet anxiety and may even attract Resplendent Quetzals to her patio. Her simple home perched on the edge of the wild Rio Savegre 
Valley in southern Costa Rica, she offers ‘Comida Tipica, a bright smile and patience to our group. We wait. We’ve already been here once today, enjoying a rainbow of bird color presented by other species. The quetzal’s chief competitor to-date is the day-glow Flame-colored Tanager. Now at day’s end we return. We are tired and hungry. We smell beans and rice cooking, chicken sautéing and being spiced. Where IS this bird? M. has greeted us as we drive in with a sigh, saying “He was here from 1:00pm to just about five minutes ago….” It’s ten minutes to five, good light has gone. We wait. Only Nancy, a veteran watcher honed to patience waiting to view Yellowstone’s sometimes elusive wolves, stays optimistic. Jackpot! HE flies in, a male ready for breeding, sporting long decorative plumes atop his tail. We witness at first the elegant 
view of his back, feathers well in order as he lands in a tree down-slope. Then with startling agility he leaps – onto a perch just shy of M’s wild avocado tree. My camera captures a rather disheveled creature, wanting only one more morsel of rich succulent fruit before roosting. Like a movie-star caught backstage, we share an intimate glimpse into the real quetzal in which function trumps elegance. It is an intimate moment and once witnessed, we leave feeling comfortable and knowing this icon of Central America’s cloud forest must eat, just like the rest of us.
DAY 5 (Jan. 25) Travel from Rio Savegre to San Vito / Wilson Botanical Garden
It was chilly as we woke to greet the morning in view of Trogon Lodge’s lovely pond and gardens. We packed to leave after breakfast and, as it was raining, decided to forgo our visit to the paramo in search of a few high elevation species.
Rain and mist cleared from the mountain landscape as we began our descent from the higher reaches of the Talamancas. Coffee and hot chocolate were still welcomed at a wonderful break at Vista del Valle. Here we were quickly intent on watching the feeders, where new tanagers came into view. A Cherrie’s Tanager with its bright red rump raised a gasp or two, as did Golden-hooded and Speckled. But the show-stopper at the feeders today was undisputed, a pair of Red-headed Barbets. Wow!
Leaving here, we picked up lunch to go and continued to the farm of pioneer ornithologist Alexander Skutch. For Peg, Willy and Henry it was a nostalgic visit. Dr. Skutch died 
just a week before the celebration of his 100th birthday. In years past, we spent many nice hours visiting on the porch of his home and study. The property, Los Cusingos, is now a museum and private reserve. Several tanagers came to the feeders, including Bay-headed Tanagers, new for the trip today. Henry made a run for the scope as he had spotted Turquoise Cotingas, two males and a female. They were most cooperative, changing one high and visible perch for another.
After lunch we made our way south, stopping at times to view birds but making good progress through the small town of San Vito, settled by Italian immigrants, up to the internationally-renowned Wilson Botanical Gardens. They rang the dinner bell shortly after our arrival and there we were – back at the table – yum! 
DAY 6. (Jan. 26) Wilson Botanical Garden
We had the full day to explore this wonderful display of the world’s tropical plants. We met at dawn on the porch where, lured in by bananas and fresh papaya at feeders, we had an hour-long parade of amazing birds, including a very tame Blue-crowned Motmot and a fairly shy Black-striped Sparrow. Walking amid fantastic collections of bromeliads, heliconias and palms, we found a host of species. Collared Trogons called and came in for inspection. We found Gray-headed Chachalacas, White-throated 
Robins, several new wood-warblers and Green Honeycreepers. Ariadna, one of the biologists working at Wilson Botanical Gardens, accompanied us and told us a lot about the facility and its mission. She described the natural history of the plants in detail and had a keen eye for spotting birds, in particular a male White-ruffed Manakin which repeatedly hopped in display above a fruiting tree high in the canopy.
The day passed quickly but we will long remember the two Chestnut-mandibled Toucans, so perturbed at their reflections in large glass windows of the dining room we could watch them at close range. At day’s end we enjoyed flocks of Crimson-fronted Parakeets as they piled into the security of a large Traveler’s Palm 
to roost. Some of our gang went out to find owls after dinner, but none cooperated this evening. We ate well and Willy summed it up saying, “This must be one of the five best places to get fat while birding!”
DAY 7 (Jan. 27) Travel from Wilson to Uvita and the Pacific Coast
We enjoyed another morning of watching brilliant-colored birds come in to the patio feeders as dawn spread light over the expansive landscape in view from Wilson Botanical Gardens. After a short walk and packing, we headed south, driving very close to the Panama border. We descended over 1000 ft. in elevation in very short order. We stopped at the bottom of the slope to spy 
on some nesting Crested Oropendolas with our scope and the heat hit us head-on after so many cool to cold days in the mountains. We shed a few layers and found ten new species with little effort. A White Hawk circling above topped the list, while the behavior of Piratic Flycatchers hanging about the oropendola colony intrigued us. We spent much of the day at Esquinas Rainforest Lodge, a beautiful guest facility tucked away in lush woods just north of Golfito. Off the entry road we walked open pastures and a path near a small stream, getting good looks at a Roadside Hawk, several Yellow-headed Caracaras, and four species of seedeaters, an Amazon 
Kingfisher, a Tropical Gnatcatcher and, with luck, two Gray-necked Wood Rails.
Cold drinks served on the porch of Esquinas were most inviting mid-day. Lunch proved to be one of the best meals of the trip – tortilla soup and some delicious chicken with taro (Malanga) chips and, of course, black beans. Catalina, the manager for some 15 years, gave us an overview of the lodge and its role in ecotourism which has brought increased prosperity to the local community. Her gracious manner set a nice tone and we left feeling hopeful about the area’s future. Shade and hospitality provided us an oasis on an otherwise hot day. It may have also attracted the 2 Spectacled 
Caimans in the pond! Shortly after we hit the main road, Henry came to a quick stop to avoid hitting a Three-toed Sloth which was SLOWLY crossing the road. Luckily it made it without event and we got excellent looks. We continued on, enjoying fine views of the ocean. Just shy of our lodge we stopped as Willy spotted feeding Central American Howler Monkeys. Fun! The lodge staff warmly greeted us with Mora (blackberry) smoothies and an introduction. The lodge is absolutely gorgeous and Nancy took no time in getting into the refreshing pool. Ralph and Vicki gave a shout, as right at the top of the stairs was another sloth – this one hanging with ease from the boughs of a Cecropia tree. We had marvelous photo opportunities staring into its painted-on smile, how delightful. Dinner was a long affair with delicious food and many courses. We finished dessert while tallying up our species and set off to refuel with some rest.
DAY 8 (Jan. 28) Morning Walk / Hatillo Mangrove Area
We offered a bird walk at dawn to beat the heat. Indeed, the porch where we met for coffee ahead of the walk proved to be a good vantage point and we spent quite a while looking out to the canopy for toucans, tanagers and whatever we could find. We picked up a few more species this morning, including Great-crested Flycatchers and Red-legged Honeycreepers.
After a leisurely breakfast everyone enjoyed some free time to swim, write in their journals, catch up on email, or otherwise take some downtime. We met for lunch and then ventured out for a rather extraordinary afternoon. Driving a short way north to the surfing haven of Dominical, we picked up our paddling guide Cesar and continued a bit past Hacienda Baru to the put-in point at a small river mouth, just at the edge of the sea. There were local families there swimming and they smiled at us as we glided away into a tunnel of mangroves. Cesar explained many of the intricate features of this rich estuary. Birds 
were quite tame and by moving quietly we could approach them. Willy took his camera as Dawn paddled the double kayak and captured marvelous images of Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, Pygmy Kingfishers and Bare-throated Tiger Herons. We edged under a large White Mangrove down across the canal to the point where we could no longer navigate above the root mass. Green Kingfishers were plentiful and a curious Black Hawk surveyed our progress without moving a feather.
We traced our way back and then paddled up another canal, this one wider with a mix of trees connecting to the mangroves adjacent to the canal. The Mangrove form of Yellow Warblers was plentiful and what a treat it was to get good looks at Scaly-breasted (Whistling) Wren. A Crested Caracara flew over us and along the edges of a sandy island we got good views of a wide variety of shorebirds.
Some of our group had stayed back to relax; several of them came to greet us at the take-out landing and we all enjoyed a walk on this almost empty Pacific Coast beach. Reflections of Coconut Palms were picture-perfect as we drove away. Henry pulled into the surfing beach just as the sun set. It was fun to watch some pretty good surfers riding sunset waves while their allies ashore readied to party. We returned to our fancy digs and had another delicious meal.
DAY 9 (Thurs., Jan. 29) Hacienda Baru
Howler Monkeys crossed a gap in the almost impenetrable forest below our hotel this morning as we ate breakfast. It was hard to focus on eating with toucans flying as well.
We spent the morning at Hacienda Baru, once a cocoa plantation. We climbed up to a small tower but found little activity, but we caught up to a large mixed flock a bit down the trail. New were Philadelphia Vireos, a migrant from home, and a pair of Black-hooded Antthrushes. Male and female were duet-calling and we watched as they seemed to push air through their tracheas by pumping the tail – at least they kept their rhythm!
We made a loop walk to the beach, walking for most of the morning. One of the highlights was finding another Army Ant swarm, this one just teaming with ants. The ants were thick enough to hide tree roots as they cross the path. They flooded over leaves and stems and we could watch insects hop to get out of their way. We counted at least eight Gray-headed Tanagers which were squabbling with each other between mouthfuls. They leapt from branch to branch and at times down to the trail, fairly oblivious to our presence. Tawny-winged and Cocoa Woodcreepers came in to inspect and seemed to cash in a bit as they stayed very low in their feeding. For us it was an effective but fascinating road block. We waited until their current ebbed before we quickly passed. Once past the ants, Jan and Ed encountered a White-nosed Coatimundi that sat and looked at them, seemingly assessing whether it had to actually get off the trail. Those of us lingering at the ant swarm found it napping in a short shrub not too far away.
The beach was lovely and nearly empty, except for a local family camped on the shore, whose children were busy building castles and burying each other in sand. Dawn played in the waves, some higher than herself. At one moment Brown Pelicans made a curve over her to pass. We enjoyed the view and a rest on a log, and then made a loop route back to cold drinks and a nice breeze in the shade. We passed courting Black Hawks, a Spiny-tailed Iguana that Ralph spotted peeking out of a tree hole and a Plain Xenops which we watched probe insects out of the dead leaves of a vine. Boat-billed Flycatchers called out their nasal trills, and once in awhile, a Magnificent Frigatebird circled above.
Willy took us to Delicia’s, a delightful restaurant in Dominical and we chose to rest and enjoy the pool for the rest of the afternoon. About four we gathered to go to the mouth of the Baru River to search for shorebirds. Despite a big group of campers, we spotted a good-sized flock roosting on the sandy rim of a bay and were able to scope Wilson’s and Semi-palmated Plovers, Whimbrels, Willets, Semi-palmated Sandpipers and both Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers. In the evening we enjoyed a slow, but very delicious meal, in which the dessert orders of chocolate pie appeared to have doubled since our first night.
DAY 10 (Fri. Jan. 30)
One more day of the sounds of Howler Monkeys and sweet songbirds woke us. Vicki found the sloth, or another like it, a ways from the hotel. We left early to beat the heat and headed north along the Pacific Coast. We chose this route despite an hour of travel on bumpy dirt roads as there were several new species we might see, particularly raptors. We were not disappointed, soon adding good views of 
Crested Caracaras, Short-tailed Hawks and Gray Hawks to our list. We saw several seedeaters and Red-breasted Blackbirds once again. We passed miles and miles of oil palm trees and then a processing factory. Near Manuel Antonio we returned to pavement and at Jaco we took a break for coffee, ice-cream at POPS, and for a few, more shopping. All along the route we had fine views of the ocean.
At Jaco we climbed a bit and changed our views to gaze on the rise of the Talamanca Mountains, crossing the Savegre River that we had so enjoyed closer to its source. Near our lunch spot we picked up Inca Doves on the lawn and at Carrara National Park we took a walk. Carrara marks the meeting point of southern moist forests and Pacific dry forests. Despite it being a quiet mid-day time, we found quite a few new species including Rufous-breasted Wrens and Slaty-tailed Trogons. A mixed flock brought us good views of Dot-winged Antwrens, Plain Xenops and Black-hooded Antthrushes. A bit further down the road we spent about 45 minutes at the famous Scarlet Macaw viewing spot at a bridge, but only one flew before 5:15 and we needed to head back to San Jose. 
Luckily, a few got to see it and we all enjoyed views of massive American Crocodiles, Black Vultures, Black-necked Stilts, Ringed Kingfishers and American Woodstorks. Our grand finale was a great one – Willy led us right to a pair of Black-and-White Owls roosting in the park of a small town that he knew of – wow! At it got dark, Henry navigated heavy Friday-night traffic and got us home safely. His lovely wife Sonia joined us for dinner where we recounted our adventures and favorite moments. Time had passed quickly and we had seen a lot and certainly enjoyed each other’s company.
DAY 11 (Sat., Jan. 31)
We woke again to the calls of Rufous-collared Sparrows, not encountered since we left the highlands. Our departure flights were scattered from early morning into early afternoon. Until the next adventure calls…
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